MEVLANA JALAL UD DIN RUMI
index page index pageTHE POETRY
These are scriptures for all ages and all faiths. This is so because they address those things which are common in all times and in all cultures which ever religious background supports a community. In the various books there are references which relate to Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Islamic stories etc. etc. common to all religions.
The area of human life which Mevlana's writing is aimed at is where language is normally is deficient. The skill with which Mevlana has outlined the condition and the remedy of human ignorance is of a divine order. It is because he was in both worlds while dictating the works.
HOW IT IS ACCESSED
The Mathnavi was composed while Mevlana was whirling (i.e. making the sema), written down by his close devotees. Therefore the Mathnavi is linked to the condition of the human psyche generated during whirling, i.e. contact with the physical world simultaneously with the inner world of pure consciousness.
The deeper meanings in the Mathnavi require the human psyche to be similar to the whirling condition so that understanding may arise.
This condition is most readily made available during the Mevlevi sema, but also may be generated by other means. The understanding of the Mathnavi becomes a realisation of the condition in which we live our lives in ignorance of our true origin.
HOW IT IS USED
The Mathnavi acts, as it were, a mirror to our soul. In addition to this the Mathnavi provides us with the means to remove the clouded condition. For this to happen we each need to apply the teaching to our own condition. This requires us to first learn more about our daily attitude or state of mind.
A cyclical reading is necessary to unlock the deeper meanings. Reading the first book after the sixth it becomes clearer. If by daily reading, all six books are repeatedly read the mind penetrates deeper and deeper into the subtleties of the philosophy of Mevlana.
WESTERN DEGRADATION OF MEVLANA
For many centuries the small communities of Mevlana's followers have used their dervish retreat system of Chillas (three days) and Chilles (three years) in conjunction with the handed down wisdom of a teacher. With this method of long and deep concentration they have attempted to make an inner connection with the wisdom of Mevlana's teachings."New Age" and shallow Western approaches have assumed that this wisdom can be accessed in a few years. This weak attempt to absorb deep scripture only serves to magnify the very ego which the teaching was designed to eliminate.
The teachings of Mevlana require the nature and psychology of the reader to become deepened, so that it can be understood. The shallow attempt to read and comprehend Mevlana's words will only apply a correspondingly shallow meaning to the teaching. In the mistaken belief that the real meaning has been understood the life of the modern Western reader gains only a veneer of the spirituality, which is soon lost when some other subject of interest comes along.
The tradition of the Mevlevi has been to change the dervishes life to accord with the teachings. The appropriate expression comes from Swami Vivekananda, "Change yourself not the traditions." Making Mevlana a subject of popularity and a source of wealth and fame cheapens and destroys the real value for those who take this approach.
LINKS WITH OTHER TRADITIONS
A close study of the Mathnavi shows that the influence of the Vedic philosophy is very clear in Mevlana's teaching. The Saraswati Society is studying in such a way that the foundation of tradition which existed thousands of years before is providing support to the understanding of the more recent expositions such as Mevlana's works.
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